“After working as a public hospital doctor for five years, I noticed a gap in the market for non-essential A&E visits, for minor cases such as coughs, colds and constipation. My team and I created Speedoc as a solution for patients to receive medical attention at any time of the day. Our goal is to be a health-tech company that helps shift advanced medical care ‘from the hospital to the home’, especially in light of Singapore’s ageing population, which may find it increasingly difficult to visit hospitals and clinics easily,” says Dr. Shravan Verma, CEO and Founder of Speedoc.

All are GPs at the moment while the startup looks for specialists in the areas of pediatrics, geriatrics and obstetrics.

Medical applications bridge the gap between patients and doctors, users and medical information, leading to their increasing prevalence and popularity. Davene Lye surveys the app stores for five most useful healthcare apps.

tech4xmas 2017 gift list: With the premiere of “The Last Jedi”, this Poe Dameron-inspired shaver (S$219) is an apt gift for the ardent Star Wars fan who wants everything in his life to be associated with the movie series. And as a wet and dry electric shaver, it gives a really close shave with its cutting-edge rotary technology.

The three shave heads flex in 8 different directions to catch 20% more hair with every pass.

Design and appearance wise the glossy SW6700/14 is based on the X-wing fighter that Poe Dameron pilots in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.

The other two models are the BB-8-inspired Philips Star Wars Shaver SW5700/07 (S$149) and the Stormtrooper-inspired Philips Star Wars Shaver SW170/04 (S$109).

These shavers are only available in Singapore until 31 December, 2017 with the SW6700/14 available exclusively at Best Denki.

Adding a nice touch is the red X-wing symbol that flickers during use.

Trying out the shaver, I found the Reflex Action system on the shaver provided a speedy close shave.

As it is moved over the skin, the shaver’s eight-directional ContourDetect flex heads automatically recalibrates to the curves of my neck and face.

Throughout the shave, I didn’t feel any pulling or tugging – because of the shaver’s V-Track Precision Pro technology, which uses 72 self-sharpening V-shaped blades cutting at 151,000 times per minute.

According to Philips, this technology positions each hair in the best cutting position, even on a three-day stubble (mine was a two-day old stubble) for a shave 30% closer to the skin and in fewer strokes, cutting up to 20% more hair compared to Philips predecessor shaver models.

The MaNaDr platform is a holistic healthcare ecosystem that connects patients, families, and friends, to a trusted network of doctors and other healthcare providers.

“Besides using the mobile app to make healthcare affordable and more accessible, MaNaDr’s market differentiation is to provide a holistic suite of services at an affordable price, in the most convenient manner possible. Over time, we want to build a whole online community of doctors, patients, and other health and medical related services. Such a community will validate a doctor’s expertise, share patient experience, for example, and recommend the brand and type of medication and other lifestyle products that are effective. This ecosystem will be built on trust, which is a crucial success factor,” said Dr Siaw Tung Yeng, Founder & CEO, MaNaDr Mobile Health.

These providers include major pharmaceutical companies and key paramedical service providers such as Amgen, MundiPharma, OmniMed Healthcare (HomeCare), QuestLab etc.

Soft launched slightly more than a year ago, the concept has gained traction with the enrollment of 500 private clinics and 600 doctors (general practitioners, dentists & specialists) in Singapore and Australia serving a million patients through its MaNaDr app.

The growing patient database will enable big data analytics that empower doctors to track a patient’s condition to offer pre-emptive and pro-active healthcare.

MaNaDr mobile healthcare platform is owned by Mobile Health Pte Ltd (“Mobile Health”), a company set up by a group of Singapore doctors to harness the power of technology to make life-long, healthcare more affordable and accessible to all.

MaNaDr has secured over S$10 million seed funding and is in talks with several large funds and investors for Series funding.

In an investment to accelerate development and commercialisation of disruptive technologies in Asia, the new Watson Centre houses “IBM Garage Singapore” and “IBM Studios – Singapore”; and will facilitate close to 5,000 IBM Cognitive Solution Professionals across the region co-creating with clients to drive transformation in their organisations.

Within the next five years, disruptive technologies such as cognitive computing and blockchain are expected to drive dramatic shifts in every industry, from healthcare, to financial services, to tourism.

“We are pleased with IBM’s decision to establish their APAC HQ and the new Watson Centre, together with a number of innovation initiatives, in Singapore to develop impactful digital solutions for their clients. This is a testament to Singapore’s growing start-up ecosystem, presence of strong industry verticals and the availability of digital talent with deep capabilities,” said Yeoh Keat Chuan, Managing Director, Singapore Economic Development Board.

To help clients of all sizes in the Asia Pacific region lead in shaping the future of their industries, IBMtoday announced plans to assist in the rapid prototyping and commercialisation of solutions based on cognitive computing and blockchain.

IBM today opened The Watson Centre at Marina Bay, an incubator designed to bring together organisations of all sizes, business partners and IBM experts to co-create business solutions that leverage IBM’s cognitive, blockchain and design capabilities.

IBM’s new Asia Pacific headquarters is based in the same location, in the heart of Singapore’s financial district.